As part of the BlackBerry 10 Ready Program, we’ve put together a variety of resources, manuals, guides, interactive tutorials, webcasts, and more to get administrators and business decision makers up to speed on our new offerings and what’s to come.

Here are just a few of the resources that we’ve got in store to help get you up to speed:

BlackBerry 10 and BES 10 Webcast Series

This is by far one of the best ways to get up to speed on the BlackBerry enterprise product portfolio. Hear straight from BlackBerry executives and Product Management leaders, view installation guides, learn about how BlackBerry Technical Support Services are evolving to meet your needs, and so much more. If there’s one resource that you check out from this article, let it be this one!

Guides, Tutorials, and Administrator Documentation

Get the practical, step-by-step advice you need to get up and running on the key BlackBerry technologies that help you manage and protect your mobile devices. The administrator documentation for BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and the BlackBerry Unified communication and collaboration software will get you started in no time.

BlackBerry Product Manuals

The product manuals for BlackBerry smartphones, tablets, device management software, and accessories are all posted on the BlackBerry web site. Get up to speed on devices that you’re planning to support in your business, or learn more as an individual customer to maximize your experience.

Training

Whether it’s web-based or instructor-led by a BlackBerry Authorized Training Partner, there are a ton of great courses, videos, job-aids, and documentation that you can take advantage of. Don’t forget that we’re also offering BlackBerry 10 Training and Certification at BlackBerry Live.

Inside BlackBerry Help Blog

Our friends over at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog are constantly crafting and publishing articles with tips and tricks, how-to’s, video demonstrations, technical resources, and more. Currently, a few of the top viewed posts include:

• How to set up a BlackBerry Z10 smartphone
• How to set up Outlook to wireless synchronize your contacts and calendar
• Ten ways to extend your BlackBerry Z10 battery life.

Still looking for answers and haven’t found them in the resources listed above? Make sure you check out supportforums.blackberry.com and TroubleshootingToolkit.com as well.

BlackBerry Certification

Demonstrate your drive, ambition and knowledge of the BlackBerry solution by getting BlackBerry certified. The BlackBerry Certification Program is the industry standard in excellence, providing a great opportunity for IT professionals like you to become subject matter experts in your companies by demonstrating proficiency with BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 products and services. To receive accreditation in the program, candidates must pass one or more product-related exams. Exams are currently available for the following roles:

• BlackBerry 10 Certified Support Specialist
• BlackBerry 10 Certified Helpdesk Specialist
• BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 Certified System Administrator
• BlackBerry Certified Builder for Web Application Development
• BlackBerry Certified Builder for Native Application Development

At BlackBerry Live, all current BlackBerry Certification exams will be available at half price for a total of $75.00 USD per candidate per exam. In addition, the BlackBerry Certification exam is included in the training fee for participants in the two-day instructor-led training courses.

BlackBerry Training at BlackBerry Live

To help you prepare for a BlackBerry Certification exam and gain insights on BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, we will be providing two-day instructor-led training courses in the days leading up to the BlackBerry Live conference. These training courses have been developed to help IT Administrators manage BlackBerry 10 smartphones in their organization and will take place Sunday, May 12 and Monday, May 13.

The following three courses will be offered:

• Installing and Managing the BlackBerry Device Service 6.2 (Certification BCP 440)
• Supporting BlackBerry 10 Devices and Troubleshooting the BlackBerry Device Service (Certification BCP 340)
• Installing and Managing the Universal Device Service & Troubleshooting the BlackBerry Device Service

More details are available in this SlideShare presentation:

BlackBerry Live Hands-On Labs

BlackBerry Live attendees will also have access to the Hands-On Labs, which provide an opportunity to experience installing and managing BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 using the BlackBerry Administration Service. BlackBerry Training and BlackBerry Technical Support experts will be on-site to assist participants with various lab exercises and activities, including managing and administering BlackBerry, Android and iOS devices.

Register Now for BlackBerry Training

Interested? You can sign up for BlackBerry Training during the online registration process for the BlackBerry Live conference, or add the courses to your existing registration account. We’re excited to help you.

Register for BlackBerry Training and Certification at BlackBerry Live Today

On the heels of our recent announcement of FIPS 140-2 certification for the upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform, our current in-market favorite BlackBerry 7.1 OS has received CESG approval for government use in the United Kingdom. This is a significant step forward for enabling government mobility in the region by allowing access to data classified up to and including “Restricted”.

The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution from RIM remains the only holistic mobile solution approved by CESG. Governments around the world have long been our partners, utilizing secure BlackBerry solutions to access sensitive data and to enable public service workers. Law enforcement, government agencies, and medical industries are just a few areas in which this takes place. In the UK specifically, the NHS, local government bodies, and the Ministry of Defense all employ BlackBerry solutions to efficient, secure, and productive ends.

A great example can be found with UK police forces. By extending core processes and systems as well as access to information databases, officers are able to spend more time in the communities in which they work rather than being tied up with paperwork back at the office. The use of mobile social media in similar settings also enables government industries to use BlackBerry technology to connect more closely with their citizens.

Learn more about BlackBerry security today, and our stance on security when it comes to the upcoming BlackBerry 10 mobile computing platform. Does your work rely on secure BlackBerry solutions? Share in the comments below.

BlackBerry® solutions have enabled secure government mobility for over a decade. An important component of this effort has been to continuously invest the time and resources required to achieve and maintain FIPS 140-2 certification.

Today we’re excited to share the news of FIPS 140-2 certification for the upcoming BlackBerry® 10 platform. The certification will enable government agencies to deploy BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10, RIM’s new mobile enterprise management solution, from the day of launch.

What is FIPS 140-2?

FIPS, or “Federal Information Processing Standard” 140-2 is an industry standard developed jointly by the U.S. and Canadian Governments to provide a common certification for the security of encryption modules in technology products. In this blog post, I’ll provide a general overview of FIPS 140-2 and demonstrate how FIPS 140-2 certification of encryption modules used in BlackBerry products is an important piece of the security and certification puzzle.

Two programs govern certification for FIPS 140-2: Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP), and the Cryptographic Algorithms Validation Program (CAVP). These programs can evaluate software, hardware, and firmware – or any combination of the three. With the passage of the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002, all U.S. federal organizations must use FIPS 140-2 certified encryption modules in their technology. Beyond federal organizations, FIPS 140-2 is often seen as a requirement for broader government and law enforcement use, and also provides peace of mind for enterprise customers.

“Achieving FIPS 140-2 certification means that BlackBerry 10 is ready to meet the strict security requirements of government agencies and enterprises at launch. What differentiates BlackBerry is that it is the only mobile solution that integrates end-to-end security, and includes certified encryption algorithms for data at rest and data in transit. No other mobile solution can claim this level of security today or in the near future.”
- Michael K. Brown, RIM Vice President of Security Product Management and Research

FIPS 140-2 ensures and verifies that encryption within a module is implemented correctly. Vendors can choose to register a particular module or multiple modules within the product for FIPS 140-2 certification. For BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry operating system (OS) up to and including version 7.1, we have achieved FIPS certification for the BlackBerry Cryptographic Kernel module that resides in the OS. The BlackBerry 10 platform (as well as the current BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet) makes use of the FIPS-certified BlackBerry OS Cryptographic Library module. All of the encryption algorithms used in BlackBerry 10 meet CAVP requirements.

You might have noticed that we’ve so far discussed encryption within (often specific) modules and not an entire device or platform. In order to validate the security of the entire BlackBerry 10 platform, we augment our security assurance by performing other tests and gaining additional certifications. Many evaluation bodies, like Common Criteria (ISO 15408), use FIPS 140-2 certified encryption modules as a foundation for a broader product evaluation.

The uniquely secure BlackBerry Cryptographic Library

At RIM, we not only incorporate FIPS 140-2 certified modules into all of our smartphones and tablets, but have also obtained FIPS 140-2 certification for the central BlackBerry Cryptographic Library. The BlackBerry Cryptographic Library is a pre-built DLL (Dynamic-Link Library), which offers cryptographic services for a variety of BlackBerry products including BlackBerry® Desktop Software, BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion, and BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10. These products are used along with the BlackBerry devices to connect to resources on the enterprise network. Using a model like this allows us to provide a secure end-to-end mobility solution, from the device straight to the enterprise network.

Why does FIPS 140-2 certification matter?

Enterprises today are demanding more from their mobility solutions, including providing workers with access to sensitive enterprise data, behind-the-firewall mobile applications, and a variety of services accessed directly from a smartphone or tablet. With this increased level of access comes an increased level of risk. Our FIPS 140-2 certifications, in conjunction with the multitude of other security accreditations, provide IT managers with assurance that the risks surrounding data at rest and data in transit can be adequately managed using BlackBerry products. RIM introduced the first smartphone with a FIPS approved module to the mobile market, and since its inception, no other mobile solution has been awarded the same level and quantity of security accreditations granted to BlackBerry products.

As you can see, FIPS 140-2 provides security-conscious organizations with the peace of mind to continue forward with mobility and to realize the benefits of mobile solutions without having to worry about compromising the security of communications. FIPS 140-2 is an important certification for the BlackBerry solution, but it is only one piece of our certification portfolio. We have more third-party security certifications and more government mobile device management experience than any provider of mobile solutions. This is why the BlackBerry solution is considered the gold standard in the enterprise, small business, and government.

Security beyond mobile devices

While it’s important that mobile devices in your work environment are certified as secure against wider standards, device certification is only one piece of the security puzzle for an organization. The solution used to manage these mobile devices and the communication, transfer of data, and access controls also need to be verified as secure. This is why we’re developing the upcoming BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 as the next-generation secure enterprise mobility management platform. The BlackBerry Cryptographic Library and the BlackBerry Cryptographic Java Modules that are used in BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 have also achieved FIPS 140-2 certification. We firmly believe that BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and the BlackBerry 10 platform represent the most secure and functionally holistic mobile solution for enterprise and government.

For more information about the security of corporate data on BlackBerry 10 devices, check out our article on BlackBerry® Balance™.

Does your business use BlackBerry solutions out of concern for security in mobility? Share in the comments below.

BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0, having made its debut at CES 2012 in Las Vegas, recently joined the family of FIPS 140-2 certified BlackBerry solutions. Along with it, BlackBerry® Device Service, a component of BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion, is now also FIPS 140-2 certified. This is an important certification and a U.S. government computer security standard; many organizations and governments have FIPS 140-2 certification as a requirement for use within their networks.

Why does FIPS 140-2 certification matter?

Good question! Certifications in general, and this one in particular, are an indication not only of security and reliability, but also of a process in which independent third parties have provided validation. Beyond government, industries like health care and finance also trust in FIPS 140-2 certifications, as both involve the storing of personal and sensitive information.

Hearing from the Business Analyst community

Today we’ve caught up with Eugene Signorini, Senior Vice President of the Yankee Group’s research team, to chat about these recent certifications of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and BlackBerry Device Service. Check out the interview below:

[Biz Blog]: Thanks for joining us today! Why don’t you share a bit of info on your experience and what you focus on in your work?

[Eugene Signorini]: I currently lead Yankee Group’s research team, which is 100% focused on mobility trends and issues. Personally, I focus on enterprise mobility, which includes mobile applications, mobility management, mobile device & OS issues for business, mobile payments, and mobile security. I co-founded Yankee Group’s enterprise mobility research practice in 2002 and have been focused on the topic for more than 10 years.

[Biz Blog]: What is the general significance of certifications like FIPS 140-2? Who does this apply to?

Certifications such as FIPS 140-2 provide an important benchmark for organizations when evaluating security credentials for certain devices and solutions. Essentially, for companies with the most stringent standards for security – whether those are for regulatory or compliance issues, or just standard company practice – benefit from these certifications because it removes uncertainty when approving vendors or suppliers. Knowing something is FIPS certified essentially provides a gold standard, a seal of approval for IT and security organizations. This level of security especially applies to government agencies, financial services firms, and health care, where regulatory and compliance standards are rigid, and require the highest levels of data and information protection.

[Biz Blog]: Is security still an important consideration concerning mobile devices?

Security remains top of mind for IT leaders when it comes to implementing mobility solutions. Yankee Group’s June 2012 Enterprise Mobility IT Decision Maker Survey reveals that security remains the number one obstacle for companies in supporting mobile workers. And mobile security ranks third among all IT priorities across the organization, coming behind only cloud-based services and mobile applications.

[Biz Blog]: What are some of the most prominent security challenges facing businesses today, and how are they reacting?

Most companies are increasingly concerned about managing mobile devices, and securing information on those devices. Specifically, the top three security challenges that we’ve seen enterprises facing are secure network access for mobile workers, mitigating potential loss of data or intellectual property, and prevention of malware across multiple devices and operating systems.

[Biz Blog]: How does security extend beyond simple password protection? Should consumers also be concerned about the security built into their smartphones and tablets?

Password protection is really the baseline level of security for mobile devices – it’s a no brainer and something all organizations should implement. After all, the easiest way to expose sensitive information is by a device falling into the wrong hands. However, organizations are quickly coming to the realization that there is more to security than just basic password enforcement. At the end of the day, it’s about protecting the information on the device both in transit and in static state. Consumers are slower to understand the threats related to information security, but recent events such as compromises to passwords on popular social media and consumer cloud sites raise awareness that consumers need protection as well. I anticipate that as more of these incidents occur, consumers will place a much higher value on device and personal information security.

[Biz Blog]: Thanks for joining us and sharing from your experience!

What type of security challenges is your business experiencing? What steps and approaches have been taken to meet them? Share in the comments below.

A couple weeks ago, I posted that BlackBerry® 7 OS had been approved in North America for Department of Defense use. This was great news, and apparently has now been extended to include BlackBerry® 7.1 OS devices as well. In fact, many US government organizations are responding to this certification quite positively and contacting dodsales@rim.com to take advantage of a variety of trade-up/trade-in programs.

However, within minutes of publishing that blog post, my Research In Motion® (RIM®) colleagues began BBMing me to point out that I’m not the only story in town. Apparently there’s a bigger story than I was aware of! As important as the USDOD approval is – and despite my local pride in the achievement of my North American friends on the security, regulatory compliance, and government marketing teams – apparently, RIM staff across the pond and around the world have their own bragging rights with governments globally certifying BlackBerry 7 OS for use.

In Australia, for example, the BlackBerry 7.0 and 7.1 Operating Systems (BlackBerry 7) were successfully evaluated and approved for Government use by the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) of the Australian Government. This certification affirms that BlackBerry 7 OS meets the Australian and New Zealand Governments’ strict security standards for a wide range of scenarios, representing the majority of day-to-day operational communications. This includes potential use in securing information classified up to and including PROTECTED (Australia) and RESTRICTED (New Zealand).

Not to be outdone, my U.K. counterparts chimed in adding that the CESG (Communications-Electronics Security Group), the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance, has also approved BlackBerry 7 for government use across the U.K., making BlackBerry the only mobile solution approved by CESG to protect material ‘Restricted’ materials.

Whether it’s U.S., U.K., or Australia, governments around the world continue to use and officially approve the BlackBerry platform. For political reasons, it’s seldom they can speak about it publically, but time and again, after significant testing and review, our solutions pass with flying colors – acknowledging key facets of the BlackBerry solution including security, manageability, and scalability.

However, leading organizations, from both government and corporate sectors must look beyond certifications and focus simply on leveraging their investment in mobile infrastructure. Ensuring their staff have the tools they need to be the most productive often means accessing newer technology like the advanced features incorporated in the newest BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones – fast web browsing, NFC interoperability, augmented reality applications, and so on.

Moreover, in light of consumerization demands, IT organizations need to appease end user demands, opening up access to BlackBerry consumer features like the MP3 player, built-in radio, and camera functionality, not to mention access to fun and entertaining apps in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront.

So whether driven by regulatory approval or the built-in benefits (both personal and organizational), organizations are increasingly moving towards BlackBerry 7 OS. These governments have clearly defined their enterprise grade device choice, providing departments and staff with a much needed benchmark. Where is your organization at in defining your ‘approved’ mobile solution…are you leading or lagging public sector?

Your peers would be as grateful as I would be to hear your comments on mobile device selection and policy. Where is your organization at in defining and controlling device selection? Do you provide approved lists? Do you depend on analogous industry certifications or do you have your own approval program? Where does Mobile Strategy stop and Mobile Device Management start? What criteria do you use to evaluate whether a device is worthy of your organization’s staff and data?

Scott Totzke commented on the significance of the DoD accessing BlackBerry 7 OS technology: “The Army introduced a wide range of new apps and capabilities for their BlackBerry users last year, and these new BlackBerry 7 smartphones will now enable Army users, and all DoD users, to experience an even greater level of performance on new smartphones that include features such as voice activated universal search, Near Field Communications, Augmented Reality, and Social Feeds 2.0 just to name a few”.

But, even with all these great features, let me be clear – buying a device is not the same as crafting an enterprise grade mobility strategy. There’s back-end integration, security policy selection, budgetary considerations, and of course application deployment decisions. However, this pre-approval means that IT leaders can move from the tactical role of “device pickers” to a more strategic role of “mobile enablers” – providing greater value to the organization, and a more rewarding career for the IT staff.

Over the past year, the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog has featured conversations with Mike K. Brown (Director Product Security, SVP BlackBerry Security Group) around the various certifications and approvals RIM has achieved, such as FIPS 140-2 validation and Common Criteria EAL4+. There are many reasons why these certifications are important, but one of the recurring themes is around “making it easy for IT”. Certifications and official approvals allow IT decision makers to deploy BlackBerry devices in their organizations with ease by removing a certain amount of organizational or political risk. You can proceed with confidence knowing that not only are you making the right decision, but there’s an external, neutral, trusted body that has your back.

In the end, this approval will help ensure that the DoD is able to fully leverage the power of BlackBerry smartphones and realize the full potential of their investment in the BlackBerry platform.

How do you handle device selection? Do you have a pre-approved list? Are device upgrades based on time periods or technology shifts? Is your organization on BlackBerry 7, or are you missing out on key features?

All devices that utilize BlackBerry® 7 OS and BlackBerry® 7.1 OS are currently FIPS validated including the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900, 9930 and 9790, BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 and 9810, and BlackBerry® Curve™ 9360 and 9380 smartphones. FIPS 140-2 provides a standard that will be used by Federal agencies of the US and Canadian governments when these organizations specify that cryptographic-based security systems are to be used to provide protection for sensitive information. Modules validated as conforming to FIPS 140-2 are typically accepted by Federal agencies of both countries for the protection of sensitive information.

Research In Motion has a track record of meeting (and surpassing) government guidelines for secure mobile solutions. Our government customers know just how important a FIPS 140-2 certification is in their ability to deploy security-conscious mobile solutions, and RIM has been at the forefront. Awarded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) as part of the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP), the FIPS 140-2 certificate gives security-conscious customers more confidence in knowing that their data and sensitive information is encrypted and protected in a manner consistent with this standard. By regulation and policy, products that are not FIPS-certified often cannot be purchased for use by the U.S. and Canadian governments.

Check out the press release, learn more about BlackBerry security, and find out more about the latest features of BlackBerry 7 OS and BlackBerry 7.1 OS smartphones to stay informed!

Is security a concern for your organization? What measures have been taken to protect corporate and sensitive data? Share in the comments.

© 2012 Research In Motion Limited. All rights reserved. BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion® and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. FIPS certification does not imply product endorsement by NIST, the U.S. or Canadian Governments.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Research In Motion Limited (RIM®) is focused on innovation in the mobile space, which means we’re always expanding our understanding of what our customers want and need in an ever-changing and accelerating mobile world. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes and a wide array of technology “building blocks” in the pipeline. In addition to the obvious expansion from smartphones into tablets through the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, RIM also has efforts around mobile device management, unified communications and VOIP, multi-core real time OS via QNX, mobile multimedia, and much more. One interesting example of these ‘building blocks” is the BlackBerry® Smart Card Reader.

The BlackBerry Smart Card Reader is a peripheral device that allows organizations, especially those in highly secure industries, to integrate their pre-existing, smartcard-based security mechanisms into the BlackBerry® solution, adding an additional layer of access security. Smart Card technologies are in line with security programs like the U.S. Department of Defense’s Common Access Card (CAC) program and the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which calls for a mandatory, government-wide standard for secure and reliable forms of identification issued by the federal government to its employees and to the employees of federal contractors.

Being part of the BlackBerry family, it comes as no surprise that the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader, just like the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, has recently earned FIPS 140-2 certification. Specifically, the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader earned a Level 3 designation – the highest certification achieved by any wireless smart card reader on the market – verifying our advanced security features, including things like physical tamper evidence and self destruction of critical security parameters upon device breach.

Since I am always interested to hear more about our security story, I met up once again with Michael K. Brown, Director of Security Product Management, to discuss the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader and its new FIPS certification. Check out our conversation in the above video.

Do you have any questions about the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader? Please share in the comments.

(YouTube link for mobile viewing)

While the BlackBerry® platform is already synonymous in many circles with security, it’s important to our customers that the BlackBerry solution is not only functionally secure, but is recognized and certified as such. Our ongoing commitment to security was recently recognized as the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet from Research In Motion® (RIM®) became the first (and only) tablet device to achieve Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 security certification.

Beyond being a mandatory requirement for US government purchases and use, FIPS certification recognizes the BlackBerry platform’s ongoing commitment to security. This unwavering approach to product development is designed to enable our customers to focus on solving real business issues – navigating uncharted waters and moving their organizations forwards – instead of wasting time constantly trying to ‘batten down the hatches’ security-wise.

I was eager to congratulate my colleague Michael K. Brown, Director of Security Product Management at RIM, and was able to steal a few minutes of his time to chat further about what the FIPS certification of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet means for our customers.